Director: Kelly Marcel
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy
Stars: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Alanna Ubach
Synopsis: Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
On the surface, it’s a head-scratcher how Venom has become a viable film franchise despite critical drubbing. However, if we’ve learned anything, the audience defines a hit—not to mention one with staying power; which explains how Venom: The Last Dance came to be. The Tom Hardy franchise makes money, all while people still pay for the theatrical experience instead of waiting to stream it on their phones.
That’s nothing to dismiss nowadays when it has become harder and harder to put people in bedbug-infested seats and eat and drink overpriced concessions. The Venom films fought to be different. There has always been something punk rock about raging against the Hollywood suites, delivering a special effects-laden comic book film on their own terms. Now, the original scribe of the franchise, Kelly Marcel, takes the reins in her directorial debut with the franchise’s strongest effort, which, at its best, is pure punk rock comic book anarchy goodness, for better or worse.
The third chapter in the Venom saga features our anti-heroes, Eddie (Tom Hardy) and his parasite-like best friend, Venom (also voiced by Hardy), a symbiote with whom he has forged a special bond over the years as they navigate the world together. Now, escaping to an alternate timeline, Eddie and Venom try to outrun two forces: the God of the Symbiotes, Knull, and Rex Strickland (12 Years a Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor), an officer in the United States Army trying to rein in all the symbiotes around the world, with Venom being the last.
Along with Dr. Payne (Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple) and her right-hand woman (Clark Backo), they run the infamous Area 51 Military Base in Nevada, which is being decommissioned in a matter of days. However, before they do, Eddie’s old friend, Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham), is brought in since he is still attached to his symbiote, Toxin, who attempts to explain what the military group does not: if Venom lives, the world will end. Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) also has a small role, appearing to do his best Peter Stormare on happy pills impression, bringing some offbeat comic relief to the story.
Marcel has always had a talent for adapting her storytelling and comic style to a wide range of genres. I mean, who else can write a heartwarming family film like Saving Mr. Banks, the smoldering “sexcapades” of Fifty Shades of Grey, and the sardonic wit of the Venom franchise? So many superhero films fall into the cookie-cutter, follow-the-rulebook, step-by-step, paint-by-numbers formula that the genre has grown tired over the past few decades.
Does Venom: The Last Dance have that? Sure, in droves. The “last” entry in the Venom franchise falls back into comic-book superhero tropes and sometimes feels rudderless. In particular, the beginning of the film features helpful but excessive exposition, explaining the background of the Venom character. Additionally, whenever the story tries to tie in the Area 51 cast of characters, it feels more like an extension of the previous films than anything original to contribute to the genre. Then, there is the ultimate eye-rolling moment where an essential character does something so dumb that it costs their friends and colleagues dearly. It seems to be only written to move the story to the third act, which is contrived.
Where Venom: The Last Dance excels is when it focuses on its roots as a dark buddy comedy. Hardy revels in the role, playing the straight man to his alter-oppositional-defiant ego, Venom. The writing is hilarious, with Hardy’s Eddie serving as the straight man to Venom’s ominous quips, which can range from deranged to childlike. The humor comes fast and is absurdist to a degree. The scene with Eddie navigating the world with his symbiote partner has always been rebellious and anti-establishment, defying Hollywood blockbuster conventions. Yet, Marcel is brave enough to outline a hilarious dance number seen with an old friend that manages to keep the film, to a degree, lively and fresh.
The final result can be uneven, but the third act has more emotion and heart than you’d expect. (Though I think Hardy and Marcel downplayed the moment too much, the disconnect from the buildup made me feel that Hardy was adding a neurodivergent anti-social quality to his character.) However, the Venom franchise is a Marvel entry with shades of what DC Comics has done so well for years with the Batman franchise. Venom has always been a metaphor for the duality of mental health issues (in this case, schizophrenia), as well as the social isolation and alienation of the downtrodden and castoffs that society turns its back on.
Like I said, at the very least Venom: The Last Dance is entertaining, has a wicked sense of humor, and goes its own way, for better or worse.
You can watch Venom: The Last Dance this Friday only in theaters!
